Non-domestic Rates

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales with reference to the Answer of 16 July 2008,  Official Report, column 458W, on non-domestic rates: Wales, whether the 2005 council tax revaluation in Wales was revenue-neutral excluding the effect of transitional relief.

Paul Murphy: I refer the hon. Gentleman to my answer of 24 April 2008,  Official Report, column 2180W. The 2005 council tax revaluation and rebanding exercise was revenue-neutral in that increases in council tax receipts during the year of the revaluation and subsequently arose from councils' decisions on raising council tax, rather than the revaluation. The rises were in line with increases in previous years.
	The increase in band D council tax was 3.8 per cent. between 2004-05 and 2005-06; 4.5 per cent. between 2005-06 and 2006-07, and 4.4 per cent. between 2006-07 and 2007-08.

Absent Without Leave

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what percentage of service personnel  (a) went absent without leave and  (b) deserted in each of the last 10 years.

Quentin Davies: Records held centrally on service personnel who have gone absent without leave (AWOL) relate to the number of incidents reported, not to the number of personnel. Therefore, individuals with multiple periods of absence are recorded more than once. For this reason the percentage of service personnel who went absent without leave in each of the last 10 years cannot be provided. The following table shows absence without leave statistics for each service by calendar year for each of the last 10 years:
	
		
			   Incidents of reported AWOL 
			   Royal Navy( 1)  Army  Royal Air Force 
			 1999 35 2,055 15 
			 2000 55 2,710 25 
			 2001 90 2,645 25 
			 2002 110 2,950 25 
			 2003 120 2,820 35 
			 2004 185 3,030 55 
			 2005 195 2,715 35 
			 2006 155 2,330 10 
			 2007 115 2,290 25 
			 2008 125 2,105 5 
			 (1 )Over this period there have been a number of changes to the criteria for reporting absentees in the RN.  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 5.  2. While the figures reflect the number of reports of AWOL, it may come to light later that there are extenuating circumstances and therefore does not reflect the number of personnel who went on to be formally charged with AWOL. 
		
	
	The following table shows the number of service personnel convicted of desertion in each of the last 10 years:
	
		
			   Convictions of desertion 
			 1999 18 
			 2000 8 
			 2001 3 
			 2002 7 
			 2003 3 
			 2004 3 
			 2005 6 
			 2006 8 
			 2007 2 
			 2008 (1)4 
			 (1 )This figure does not include the last quarter of 2008 for the RN.

Departmental Catering

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 14 January 2009,  Official Report, column 486W, on departmental catering, which ethically traded products the defence food services integrated project team has introduced; and if he will make a statement.

Quentin Davies: Ethically traded products purchased by defence food services integrated project team, which is responsible for the procurement of food for the armed services on operations and on exercises overseas, are set out in the following list:
	90 per cent. of tea and coffee from fair trade sources
	100 per cent. of pork from British sources
	100 per cent. of milk from British sources
	100 per cent. of eggs from British sources
	100 per cent. of whole gammons from British sources
	100 per cent. of fish from managed sources

Departmental Catering

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 14 January 2009,  Official Report, column 486W, on departmental catering, what recommendations the Sustainability Working Group has made on the procurement of Fairtrade goods for use in  (a) his Department's London headquarters and  (b) the military establishment; and if he will make a statement.

Quentin Davies: The Sustainability Working Group was established within the Defence Food Service Integrated Project Team (DFS IPT) to identify opportunities to extend sustainable procurement of food for the armed services on operations and on exercises overseas. The procurement of catering for MOD's London headquarters and for all military establishments is therefore outside the scope of the Working Group.
	Where, however, the DFS IPT identifies Fairtrade products that meet MOD quality requirements and offer value for money, they may be listed on the core range of products supplied for operational feeding to UK armed forces personnel "in barracks" not covered by the Pay As You Dine programme.
	Catering in MOD's London headquarters is provided as part of a multi-activity contract. An extensive range of Fairtrade products is available that includes all coffee served in the deli bar, coffee bar and in the vending machines. A range of other Fairtrade beverages, fruit juices, snack bars and cakes is also available.
	For those military establishments where catering is provided through the Pay As You Dine programme, or as part of a multi-activity contract, the catering contractor may choose to offer Fairtrade products as part of his strategy, although the requirement does not specify that he must. There are a wide variety of such contracts in place across the Department and information on Fairtrade products on offer is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

EU Battlegroups

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to paragraph 90 of the Explanatory Memorandum of 11 December 2008 on the French Presidency Report on European Security and Defence Policy, European Union Document No. 16686/08,  (a) how many troops and  (b) what military assets the UK has contributed to the Force Catalogue.

John Hutton: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my predecessor gave on 4 March 2008,  Official Report, column 2348W.

Bail Accommodation and Support Services

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 21 January 2009,  Official Report, column 1554W, on approved premises; how many bail hostels other than those operated by ClearSprings  (a) operate and  (b) are planned to open in (i) Eastbourne and (ii) England.

David Hanson: The properties provided by ClearSprings are not bail hostels. What were known as approved hostels, probation hostels and bail hostels are now approved premises. There are 97 approved premises in England, and four in Wales. None is in Eastbourne, and there are no plans to open one there or to expand the number of approved premises in England or Wales. The core purpose of approved premises is to protect the public from offenders who pose a significant risk of harm, and, at 30 November 2008, only 157 of the 2,205 places were filled by defendants on bail.

Magistrates Courts: Closures

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 19 January 2008,  Official Report, columns 1125-6W, on magistrates' courts at Lyndhurst, for what reason any closure of Lyndhurst magistrates' court would be temporary; what criteria would be used to decide when to re-open it following such a temporary closure; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: As part of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), HMCS Hampshire and the Isle of Wight (HMCS HIOW) has to make efficiency savings over the next three years. The proposal to close Lyndhurst temporarily and transfer its work to Southampton, a modern purpose- built magistrates court is one of a series of measures identified by local management to improve efficiency and reduce the running costs of the area during this period.
	No decision has yet been made but consideration will be given to the needs of those who live and work in the New Forest area and their ability to access justice.
	A decision to re-open a court following temporary closure would depend on the prevailing factors at that time. All decisions to close individual courts permanently are for Ministers.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to reply to the letter of 22 December 2008 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. I. Laing.

Jack Straw: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 30 January. I am sorry for the delay in replying.

Offenders: Personal Records

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 2 February 2009,  Official Report, column 918W, on offenders: personal records, whether the Offenders Index is updated regularly; and when it was last updated.

David Hanson: The Department no longer uses the Offenders Index to provide routine data on reoffending and criminal history. We are currently analysing the final cohorts of offenders extracted from the Offenders Index which are based on data up to December 2006. The Ministry of Justice has no plan for further updates.
	Since 2005, the Ministry of Justice has been using data extracted from its police national computer database to provide the published figures on reoffending. This database is updated weekly.

Members: Correspondence

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Northavon of 28 January 2008 on behalf of Mr. Richard Cleaver in respect of Pandora Radio, a second copy of which was faxed to his office on 18 June 2008.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 4 February 2009
	I offer the hon. Member an apology for the administrative error in dealing with this correspondence. The issues raised in the letter are the policy responsibility of the Intellectual Property Office, and I understand that a reply will be sent soon from the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.

World Creative Business Conference

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with reference to the answer of 14 October 2008,  Official Report, column 1210W, on the World Creative Business Conference, how much his Department has paid to  (a) Edelman and  (b) Acclaim to date; and how much he expects to pay each company in each of the next three years.

Andy Burnham: The cost of Edelman and Acclaim is included within the £1 million allocated towards the running of the World Creative Business Conference in each of the next three years, including 2008-09.

Departmental Buildings

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland with reference to the answer of 24 November 2008,  Official Report, column 881W, on departmental buildings, what the cost of the works was before occupation.

Paul Goggins: The total cost of the works is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Office name  Size (sq m)  Total cost of works, excluding VAT (£) 
			 Lisburn Chambers, Linenhall Street, Lisburn, County Antrim 2493 1,159,580 
			 Linum Chambers, Bedford Square, Bedford Street, Belfast 2802 998,753 
			 Ballymena Chambers, Parkway, Ballymena, County Antrim 2494 1,055,500 
			 Omagh Chambers, 2 Townhall Square, Omagh, County Tyrone 2265 1,070,633 
			 Foyle Chambers, 35 Limavady Road, Londonderry, County Londonderry 2364 (1)945,000 
			 (1) Anticipated total cost.

Departmental Official Residences

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Rochford and Southend East of 6 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 86-87W, on departmental official residences, who pays the council tax bills for the mainland Britain residential accommodation.

Shaun Woodward: My Department pays the council tax bills for residential accommodation used by staff based in London who are required to work away from their appointed office in Belfast.

Bangladesh: Elections

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance his Department is providing to Bangladesh to ensure that the elections scheduled for 29 December 2008 are free and fair.

Bill Rammell: The Department for International Development contributed £10 million to compile the new voters register, £1.1 million through the Asia Foundation to promote accountability and issue-based non-violent campaigning. We funded a country-wide scheme to motivate vulnerable groups to register to vote. The UK also made financial or human resources available to the EU and ANFREL (Asian Network for Free Elections) election observation missions.
	In his statement of the 31 December 2008, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary commented on the successful elections. This is available on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website at:
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/newsroom/latest-news/?view= News&id=l1710213.

Languages

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the answer of 16 July 2008, how many of his Department's staff received language training in  (a) 2005-06 and  (b) 2006-07, broken down by language.

Gillian Merron: I will write to the hon. Member separately, and place a copy of that letter in the Library of the House.

Somalia: Armed Conflict

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Ethiopian counterpart on Ethiopia's announcement that it will withdraw its troops from Somalia by 31 December 2008.

David Miliband: My noble Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Security and Counter-terrorism at the Home Office, Lord West, discussed Ethiopia's withdrawal from Somalia during his meeting with the Ethiopian Prime Minister, Meles Zenawi, on 12 December 2008 in Addis Ababa. At the meeting, Mr. Meles confirmed that Ethiopian forces would withdraw from Somalia by the end of the year.

USA: Armed Forces

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the answer of 26 November 2008,  Official Report, columns 1795-96W, on USA: Central Asia, what the grade is of each of the two personnel from his Department contributing to the work of the American Central Command Assessment Team.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 12 January 2009
	 Foreign and Commonwealth Office participation in the American Central Command Assessment Team comprised one D7 grade officer and one Senior Management Structure officer. The UK was pleased to be able to contribute to the wide-ranging discussion on security, rule of law and issues of global concern.

Carbon Emissions: Waste Disposal

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Peterborough of 22 October 2008,  Official Report, column 361W, on carbon emissions: waste disposal, whether the work on estimating dioxin emissions from domestic burning has been completed.

Jane Kennedy: No. The current contract should be completed by the end of this financial year.

Domestic Waste: Contracts

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer of 24 November 2008,  Official Report, column 842W, on domestic waste: contracts, if he will place in the Library a copy of the  (a) peer review of WR0106 and  (b) the final report for WR0506.

Jane Kennedy: DEFRA's arrangements for publishing peer reviews are set out in its science handbook. This requires peer reviews to be carried out on completed, published reports in certain defined cases.
	In this case, a peer review was carried out on a draft research report before its completion or publication. In accordance with standard practice, therefore, it would not be appropriate to publish it.

Civil Service: Pensions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster with reference to the answer of 1 September 2008,  Official Report, column 1431W, on the Civil Service: pensions, for what reason the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme resource accounts were not laid before Parliament after the House returned in the autumn of 2008; and when he plans to publish them.

Liam Byrne: The accounts were laid before Parliament on 22 January 2009 [HC60].
	In my written ministerial statement of 16 December 2008, I referred to some overpayments made to pensioners of public sector pension schemes, including the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme.
	The Civil Superannuation Resource Accounts contain reference to these overpayments. The decision was taken not to publish the accounts until such time as we had sufficient information to be able to inform those pensioners affected. Critical to this decision was the need to avoid unnecessary public concern among the vast majority (95 per cent.) of civil service pensioners who were entirely unaffected, but who would not have known that had a general announcement been made. Letters were sent to affected pensioners on 15 December and the statement, formally notifying Parliament of the overpayments, was made on 16 December.

Higher Civil Servants: Official Hospitality

David Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster with reference to the answer of 7 May 2008,  Official Report, column 885W, on the recording of hospitality received by senior civil servants in 2007, how he plans to publish the list of hospitality received by members of departmental boards during 2007; and what timetable he has set for publication.

Tom Watson: Hospitality received by members of departmental boards will be published shortly and copies placed in the Library of the House.

Voluntary Work

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster with reference to the answer of 24 November 2008,  Official Report, columns 1126-27W, on v, how many  (a) full-time,  (b) part-time and  (c) short-term opportunities have been created by v to date; and how many volunteers on average have filled each of these opportunity types.

Kevin Brennan: Up to the end of January 2009 v had created over 875,000 opportunities to volunteer and 311,000 had been completed by volunteers. This is an increase from the 251,000 volunteers that had completed opportunities by the end of September 2008.
	The following table provides a breakdown of opportunities commissioned and completed by the type of opportunity:
	
		
			  Type of opportunity  Opportunities commissioned  Opportunities completed 
			 Full-time 17,000 5,000 
			 Part-time 400,000 165,000 
			 Short-term 458,000 141,000 
			 Total 875,000 311,000 
		
	
	Volunteering opportunities can play a hugely important role in enabling people to develop new skills and improve their employment prospects. In recognition of this, today the Government are publishing 'Real Help for Communities: Volunteers, Charities and Social Enterprises', a £42.5 million plan to support the third sector to deliver real help to people, communities and businesses during the recession. The plan contains a volunteer brokerage scheme for unemployed people which will create over 40,000 opportunities to learn new skills and give back to communities through volunteering. Copies of 'Real Help for Communities: Volunteers, Charities and Social Enterprises' have been placed in the Library of the House.

Railways: Fares

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the oral answer to the hon. Member for Lewes of 27 January 2009,  Official Report, column 148, which rail fares have reduced because of the capping system.

Paul Clark: holding answer 3 February 2009
	 The Department for Transport does not hold this information. The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) does however track all rail fares, and reports on the high level results on a quarterly basis. The ORR can be contacted for more information at the following address:
	Office of Rail Regulation
	One Kemble Street
	London WC2B 4AN

Train Operating Companies

Tom Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what representations have been made to him by the Association of Train Operating Companies in support of changes to franchise service level commitments that would allow a reduction in services;
	(2)  what subjects were discussed at his meeting with representatives of the Association of Train Operating Companies on 20 January 2009.

Paul Clark: The Secretary of State has regular meetings with representatives of the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) and the train operating companies themselves. The 20 January meeting, as is usually the case, covered a range of issues that affect the railway. ATOC have made no representations to reduce services by way of alterations to existing franchise service level commitments.

Apprentices

David Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the Answer of 22 May 2008,  Official Report, column 434W, on apprentices, what progress has been made in increasing the number of apprentices in his Department and its agencies; and how many apprentices his Department and its agencies employ.

Angela Eagle: Since the previous question raised by the hon. Member, HM Treasury and its agencies have had no apprenticeships or advanced apprenticeships in place. Efforts are made to raise awareness of the programmes available and HM Treasury and its agencies will continue to seek to attract potential candidates to apprenticeship schemes including with our outsourced suppliers.
	Methods used to promote the advantages of the apprenticeships and trying to recruit to the Government Pathway scheme include circulating literature and holding promotional events with external suppliers. The lack of take-up can be attributed to the highly skilled workforce that is already in place. A recent sample of HM Treasury and Office of Government Commerce colleagues found 98.6 per cent. of respondents were qualified to level 2 or above. This suggests the pool of potential applicants for apprenticeships is relatively small.

Banks: Finance

George Mudie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the Statement of 13 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 539-472, on financial markets, which institutions have taken up  (a) the Government scheme for new lending between banks and  (b) the £37 billion made available for bank recapitalisation; and what assessment he has made of the effect of these arrangements on levels of inter-bank lending.

Ian Pearson: RBS Group plc, Lloyds TSB plc and HBOS Group plc have announced the terms on which they are participating in the Government's recapitalisation scheme. Details are set out in the Placing and Open Offer Agreements that are available in the Libraries of both Houses of Parliament.
	These banks are also eligible to use the Government's Credit Guarantee Scheme (CGS), under which up to £250 billion of bank lending will be guaranteed. Participating banks have accessed some £100 billion of funding under the CGS so far. A list of participating institutions is published by the Debt Management Office at
	http://www.dmo.gov.uk/index.aspx?page=CGS/CGSEligible.
	Figures for individual banks are confidential. As the Chancellor of the Exchequer noted on 19 January, these guarantees have been successful in helping to bring down the inter-bank lending rate.

Delivery Unit

Simon Hughes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recommendations were made to the Prime Minister by the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit between 1 July and 31 December 2008.

Yvette Cooper: In line with normal practices regarding PMDU advice to Ministers, the unit's recommendations to the Chancellor are never put in the public domain.

Departmental Contracts

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 25 November 2008,  Official Report, columns 47-48WS, on departmental expenditure limit (2008-09), what consultancy work required a transfer of £250,000 to the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit; and what consultancy firm or firms carried out this work.

Yvette Cooper: When PMDU transferred from the Cabinet Office to HMT in 2007, the remit of the unit changed significantly to include development of PSA policy and oversight of the delivery of the 30 key government PSAs. The unit's budget and staff levels were increased to reflect these two additional responsibilities. The Cabinet Office agreed to make a £250,000 contribution to cover part of the additional staff costs. When the money was transferred to HMT it was recorded as being for consultancy when it should have been recorded as an increase in the staff budget.

Gold and Foreign Exchange Reserves

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the UK authorities activated their swap arrangements with  (a) the US Federal Reserve and  (b) the European Central Bank on Friday 10 October 2008.

Ian Pearson: On 10 October 2008 the Bank of England entered into an $8.484 billion overnight swap and a $29.998 billion one week swap with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Details can be found in the Bank of England market notice 'Result of US Dollar Repo Operations' of 10 October 2008.
	http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/markets/money/documentation/usdreporesult081010.pdf

Members: Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire dated 11 November 2008 on pay for PCS members.

Yvette Cooper: I replied to the hon. Member on 19 December. A further copy has been sent to his office.

Members: Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire dated 14 October 2008 on small business costs, PO Ref: 1/61608/2008;
	(2)  when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire dated 6 November 2008 on charities, PO Ref: 1/62894/2008.

Ian Pearson: Due to the large volume of correspondence received on these issues there has been a delay in sending some responses. The Financial Services Secretary hopes to be in a position to reply to the hon. Member shortly.

Mortgages: Arrears

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of mortgage accounts that were in arrears on  (a) 1 April 2008,  (b) 1 June 2008 and  (c) 1 December 2008.

Ian Pearson: The Government do not hold these figures. The Financial Services Authority (FSA) publishes quarterly data on residential mortgage lending, covering the period from the first quarter of 2007, available at:
	http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pages/Doing/Regulated/Returns/IRR/statistics/index.shtml.

Valuation Office: Overseas Visits

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what overseas conferences have been attended by representatives of the Valuation Office Agency at public expense in the last 12 months;
	(2)  with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst, of 17 March 2008,  Official Report, column 899W, on the Valuation Office: visits abroad, which overseas destinations have been visited by Valuation Office Agency staff since March 2008; how many visits were made to each destination; and what the purpose of each visit was.

Stephen Timms: The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) receives a number of requests to provide advice overseas. Where VOA participation is expected to be beneficial at an overseas conference or seminar some or all of the costs incurred are normally borne by the conference organisers.
	Since March 2008 staff from the Valuation Office Agency have made the following visits:
	 Fully paid for by the event organisers;
	One person visited Moscow as a Keynote speaker at Russian Society of Appraisers Conference; and
	One person visited Kansas City to attend a meeting of the International Association of Assessing Officers to review mass appraisal courses and textbooks.
	 Costs paid by the VOA:
	Five visits, consisting of one person each time, were made to Dublin to discuss valuation practice and procedures across England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland;
	One person visited Toronto to attend the Mass Appraisal Valuation Symposium, partly paid for by the organisers;
	One person visited Warsaw as a Keynote speaker at the European Valuers Conference;
	One person visited Beijing to attend an International Property Tax Institute Conference, partly paid for by the organisers;
	One person visited Adelaide as a Keynote speaker at the Australian Valuer General, Registrar General and Surveyor General's Conference, partly paid for by the organisers; and
	One person visited Cannes to attend Gartner's Symposium / IT(xpo) 2008.

Charities

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality pursuant to the answer of 20 January 2009,  Official Report, column 1312W, on charities, whether the Government Equalities Office plans to provide further funding to each of the charities referred to.

Maria Eagle: Decisions on any future funding to these or other charities will be announced in the usual way.

Departmental Temporary Employment

Mark Hoban: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality with reference to the answer of 27 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 688-89W, on departmental temporary employment, how many staff were recruited through each company in each year; and for how long on average staff recruited through these companies worked for the Department in each year.

Maria Eagle: With reference to the answer of 27 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 688-89W, on departmental temporary staff, the total number of staff recruited through each company and the average length of contract, in weeks, is as follows:
	
		
			  Company  Number of staff recruited  Average contract length (Weeks) 
			 Adecco 3 37 
			 Brook Street UK Ltd. 13 26 
			 Michael Page Associates 1 5 
			 Morgan Hunt 4 17 
			 Reed Employment Ltd. 13 14

Political Parties: Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Beckenham of 6 October 2008,  Official Report, column 303W, on departmental procurement, what the purpose was of each of the three payments to political parties by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission.

Maria Eagle: The Commission has informed me that the three payments made by them, as referred to in the answer to the hon. Member for Beckenham (Mrs. Lait) of 6 October 2008,  Official Report, column 303W, are related to charges for attending the 2007 annual party conferences. The Commission attended the conferences to build its profile with parliamentarians and key stakeholders and promote factual information about its work, to co-inside with the launch of the new Commission in October 2007.

Departmental Official Engagements

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the official engagements of each Minister in his Department were between 1 December and 31 December 2008.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 15 January 2009
	 The information that the hon. Member has requested is listed in the following table. This also includes regional engagements as my Regional Ministers do discuss departmental business at these events.
	
		
			  Minister  Date  Official engagement 
			 James Purnell 1 December 2008 Child Poverty Action Group 
			 James Purnell 9 December 2008 Tower Project, London 
			 James Purnell 11 December 2008 Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust, York 
			 James Purnell 17 December 2008 Inclusion 'Workless in 2009' 
			
			 Tony McNulty 1 December 2008 Hammersmith Jobcentre Plus 
			 Tony McNulty 1 December 2008 London Prevent Network 
			 Tony McNulty 1 December 2008 Mayor of London 
			 Tony McNulty 1 December 2008 Ealing Council 
			 Tony McNulty 1 December 2008 North West London 
			 Tony McNulty 2 December 2008 Media Breakfast 
			 Tony McNulty 2 December 2008 Ethnic Minority Advisory Group Reception 
			 Tony McNulty 3 December 2008 London Council 
			 Tony McNulty 3 December 2008 A4E 
			 Tony McNulty 4 December 2008 Employers Round table 
			 Tony McNulty 4 December 2008 Speech OSCT event 
			 Tony McNulty 4 December 2008 Visit London meeting 
			 Tony McNulty 8 December 2008 Harrow College 
			 Tony McNulty 8 December 2008 Shepherds Bush Jobcentre Plus Office 
			 Tony McNulty 8 December 2008 Met Police meeting 
			 Tony McNulty 8 December 2008 London and European Resilience Event 
			 Tony McNulty 9 December 2008 London Child Poverty Delivery Group 
			 Tony McNulty 10 December 2008 National Prevent Conference 
			 Tony McNulty 11 December 2008 London community Safety Partnership 
			 Tony McNulty 15 December 2008 London Colleges 
			 Tony McNulty 15 December 2008 Tower Hamlets 
			 Tony McNulty 15 December 2008 Ocean Job Shop 
			 Tony McNulty 15 December 2008 Brick Lane Youth Development Association 
			 Tony McNulty 16 December 2008 UK Commission for Employment and Skills 
			 Tony McNulty 17 December 2008 Drug Strategy Commission reception 
			 Tony McNulty 18 December 2008 Met Police 
			 Tony McNulty 18 December 2008 Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre 
			
			 Rosie Winterton 1 December 2008 Immingham Pensioners Wellbeing Group 
			 Rosie Winterton 3 December 2008 Opportunity age Strategic Group 
			 Rosie Winterton 4 December 2008 DWP Pensions Staff Conference 
			 Rosie Winterton 4 December 2008 Help the aged 
			   Age Concern 
			 Rosie Winterton 5 December 2008 Local Government Yorkshire and Humber event 
			 Rosie Winterton 8 December 2008 EEF 
			 Rosie Winterton 9 December 2008 B and CE benefit Schemes 
			 Rosie Winterton 10 December 2008 Business in Sport and Leisure (BISL) 
			 Rosie Winterton 10 December 2008 Charity Champion Awards 
			 Rosie Winterton 11 December 2008 Age Concern Newcastle 
			   ASDA Northumbria 
			   Employee event Newcastle 
			 Rosie Winterton 12 December 2008 Association of Colleges Yorkshire and Humber 
			 Rosie Winterton 15 December 2008 Pension Credit Centre Burnley 
			 Rosie Winterton 16 December 2008 NAPF 
			 Rosie Winterton 16 December 2008 Help the Aged 
			   Age Concern 
			   CPA 
			   Anchor Trust 
			 Rosie Winterton 17 December 2008 BGOP—Better Government for Older People 
			   OPAG—Older People's Action Group 
			
			 Kitty Ussher 4 December 2008 Conference of the Association of British Credit Unions Ltd. 
			 Kitty Ussher 8 December 2008 Valuation Office Agency 
			 Kitty Ussher 9 December 2008 Balham Benefit Delivery Centre 
			 Kitty Ussher 9 December 2008 National Housing Federation 
			 Kitty Ussher 10 December 2008 White Paper launch 
			 Kitty Ussher 11 December 2008 National Housing Federations Unlocking Potential conference 
			 Kitty Ussher 11 December 2008 Chartered Institute of Housing 
			 Kitty Ussher 15 December 2008 Stewart Maxwell MSP 
			 Kitty Ussher 15 December 2008 Lyn Brown MP 
			 Kitty Ussher 16 December 2008 Beverley Hughes MP 
			 Kitty Ussher 16 December 2008 Jennifer Willott MP 
			 Kitty Ussher 18 December 2008 Zimbabwe Inter-Ministerial Meeting 
			 Kitty Ussher 18 December 2008 Life Chances Ministerial Meeting 
			
			 Jonathan Shaw 1 December 2008 Office for Disability Issues Annual event 
			 Jonathan Shaw 1 December 2008 Neuro-diversity Meeting 
			 Jonathan Shaw 1 December 2008 Welfare Reform Meeting 
			 Jonathan Shaw 1 December 2008 RADAR People of the Year Awards 
			 Jonathan Shaw 2 December 2008 Shelter Housing Event 
			 Jonathan Shaw 2 December 2008 Justice and Crime Sub-Committee 
			 Jonathan Shaw 2 December 2008 Kimberly Clark/SEEDA meeting 
			 Jonathan Shaw 2 December 2008 SEEDA Infrastructure Event 
			 Jonathan Shaw 3 December 2008 City and East London JCP LOCOG Event 
			 Jonathan Shaw 3 December 2008 Canterbury Innovation Centre 
			 Jonathan Shaw 3 December 2008 MCCH 
			 Jonathan Shaw 4 December 2008 Include Me Too Conference 
			 Jonathan Shaw 4 December 2008 Equality 2025 
			 Jonathan Shaw 4 December 2008 National Autistic Society Meeting 
			 Jonathan Shaw 8 December 2008 Placeshaper Housing Association Reception 
			 Jonathan Shaw 9 December 2008 RNIB Meeting 
			 Jonathan Shaw 9 December 2008 Remploy Meeting with Shop Stewards 
			 Jonathan Shaw 9 December 2008 Parkinson's Disease Society Meeting 
			 Jonathan Shaw 9 December 2008 Tell Us Once Event 
			 Jonathan Shaw 9 December 2008 Employers' Forum on Disability Meeting 
			 Jonathan Shaw 9 December 2008 IDEAS Meeting 
			 Jonathan Shaw 9 December 2008 Remploy and other Supported Businesses Procurement Meeting 
			 Jonathan Shaw 10 December 2008 Independent Living Funds Meeting 
			 Jonathan Shaw 10 December 2008 Welfare Reform Stakeholder Event 
			 Jonathan Shaw 10 December 2008 Care and Support Ministerial Meeting 
			 Jonathan Shaw 11 December 2008 Equality Bill Consultation Event 
			 Jonathan Shaw 12 December 2008 British Olympians and Paralympians Medallists Event 
			 Jonathan Shaw 15 December 2008 Meeting with Devolved Administration Ministers 
			 Jonathan Shaw 16 December 2008 SEEDC 
			 Jonathan Shaw 16 December 2008 Remploy Meeting 
			 Jonathan Shaw 16 December 2008 IDEAS Workshop 
			 Jonathan Shaw 16 December 2008 Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs (EPSCO) 
			 Jonathan Shaw 17 December 2008 Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs (EPSCO) 
			
			 Lord McKenzie 1 December 2008 SR Partnership 
			 Lord McKenzie 1 December 2008 Steel Construction Institute 
			 Lord McKenzie 2 December 2008 Inside Government Conference 
			 Lord McKenzie 2 December 2008 Evershed's 
			 Lord McKenzie 3 December 2008 Launch of HSE New Strategy consultation 
			 Lord McKenzie 4 December 2008 Pension Consultants 
			 Lord McKenzie 5 December 2008 Birmingham New Hospital Joint Venture 
			 Lord McKenzie 9 December 2008 Annual Multi Pensions 2008 
			 Lord McKenzie 9 December 2008 Trade Union Congress 
			 Lord McKenzie 10 December 2008 Personal Account Delivery Authority 
			 Lord McKenzie 10 December 2008 Confederation of British Industry 
			 Lord McKenzie 10 December 2008 National Association of Pension Funds 
			 Lord McKenzie 10 December 2008 Association of Consulting Actuaries 
			 Lord McKenzie 12 December 2008 Gateway Education centre and Shrewsbury Hospital 
			 Lord McKenzie 16 December 2008 National Association of Pension Funds 
			 Lord McKenzie 17 December 2008 Australian Health and Safety Minister

Post Office Card Account

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 14 January 2009,  Official Report, columns 765-6W, on the Post Office card account, on what basis it was decided that the financial details of the contract will remain commercially confidential.

Rosie Winterton: The financial details of the contract are subject to the normal principles of commercial confidentiality. It would not therefore be appropriate to make this public as this information relates to the commercial interest of the Department and Post Office Ltd.

Winter Fuel Payments

Greg Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on how many occasions those living within the postcodes BB1, BB4, BB5 and BB6 areas have qualified for cold weather payments since 1 October 2008.

Kitty Ussher: A cold weather payment is made to an eligible customer if the average temperature has been recorded as, or is forecast to be, 0°C or below over seven consecutive days at the weather station linked to the customer's postcode.
	Eligible customers living in the postcodes BB1, BB4, BB5 and BB6 have qualified for cold weather payments twice since 1 October 2008 (based on the temperature criterion having been met up to 28 January 2009).

Winter Fuel Payments

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on how many occasions people living in postcode areas BB18, BB8 and BB9 have qualified for cold weather payments since 1 October 2008.

Kitty Ussher: A cold weather payment is made to an eligible customer if the average temperature has been recorded as, or is forecast to be, 0°C or below over seven consecutive days at the weather station linked to the customer's postcode.
	Eligible customers living in the postcodes BB18, BB8 and BB9 have qualified for cold weather payments twice since 1 October 2008 (based on the temperature criterion having been met up to 28 January 2009).

Adult Education

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Reading West of 28 January 2009,  Official Report, column 594W, on vocational training: finance, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the increase in the number of learners aged 25 years and over in  (a) 2004-05 and  (b) 2005-06.

Si�n Simon: holding answer 5 February 2009
	The target audience for the Skills for Life strategy is adults in England with literacy and/or numeracy skills below Level 2 and this includes learners aged 25 years and over. The increase in the number of Skills for Life (literacy, language and numeracy) learners aged 25 years and over (and in all other age groups) in 2004-05 and 2005-06 was part of our Skills for Life strategy to improve the basic skills of 2.25 million adults between 2001 and 2010.
	The strategy is based around boosting demand, ensuring capacity, raising standards and increasing learner achievement. The boosting demand element included work with employers to raise awareness of the issue and the successful 'Get On' campaign to encourage individuals to improve their skills. DIUS is refreshing its Skills for Life strategy and will soon be publishing a delivery document.

Apprentices

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what estimate his Department has made of the number of apprenticeships there were in the public sector at 1 January 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Si�n Simon: In Quarter 3 2008, there were just under 10,000 people of working age(1) studying towards an apprenticeship in the public sector. This represents around 7 per cent. of those working age people in England studying towards an apprenticeship.
	These data are taken from the most recent quarterly Labour Force Survey (LFS) which covers the period July to September (2008). Data up to 31 December 2008 will be available from 11 February.
	(1) Men aged 16 to 64 and women aged 16 to 59

Departmental Air Travel

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Rochford and Southend East of 6 October 2008,  Official Report, column 527W, and pursuant to the answer of 18 December 2008,  Official Report, column 1055W, on departmental air travel, if he will place in the Library the figures for the distance of air travel carbon offset in 2007-08 for his Department, broken down by  (a) domestic,  (b) short-haul and  (c) long-haul flights.

Si�n Simon: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) was created as a result of the machinery of government changes in June 2007. The Department's predecessors DfES (now DCSFDepartment for Children Schools and Families) and DTI (now BERRDepartment for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform) provide travel bookings for DIUS. The number of air miles used to calculate the departmental payment for the 2007-08 for DIUS provided by BERR was:
	
		
			   Miles 
			  (a) Domestic 27,560 
			  (b) Short haul 140,286 
			  (c) Long haul 285,096 
		
	
	The number of air miles used to calculate the departmental payment for 2007-08 for DIUS provided by DCSF was included in the DCSF return because figures could not be separated for this period. To separate this data would involve disproportionate cost.

Driving Offences: Insurance

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2009,  Official Report, column 704W, on driving offences: insurance, how many cars were seized for insurance offences and not returned in 2008; how many were sold; and how much was raised from their sale.

Alan Campbell: This information is not collected centrally. Available information provided to the Motor Insurance Database indicates that in 2008 there were 185,000 vehicles seized by the police for being driven without appropriate insurance. The Motor Insurers' Information Centre, which is responsible for the database, indicated that in the preceding year about 40 per cent. of seized vehicles were subsequently destroyed or sold, rather than returned. The proceeds of disposal are paid to the vehicle owner, less any sums due in respect of removal and storage charges.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  when she plans to reply to the letter of 8 December 2008 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton on Mrs A. Rehman;
	(2)  when she plans to reply to the letter of 8 December 2008 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mrs A. Rehman.

Jacqui Smith: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 19 January 2009.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to reply to the letter of 7 November 2008 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton on Mr Faqir Hussain.

Jacqui Smith: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 19 January 2009.

Police: Demonstrations

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for each of the demonstrations about Gaza and Israel held since 1 January 2009, how many police were injured; what damage to police vehicles took place; and what the cost of policing was; and if she will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: Information provided by the Metropolitan Police Service is that to date police officers have reported 55 assaults by protestors and nine police vehicles have been damaged. The Metropolitan Police Service estimates that the total cost of the policing operation, between 29 December 2008 and 24 January 2009, is 2.7 million.

Departmental Buildings

Mark Hoban: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer of 13 January 2009,  Official Report, column 561W, on departmental buildings, what  (a) works and  (b) refurbishments were carried out in each Minister's office in each of the last 12 months; and what the cost was of each.

Patrick McFadden: The previous answer referred to by the hon. Member included spend incurred in August 2007 following refurbishments resulting from Machinery of Government changes. The following information therefore dates back to August 2007.
	The following costs relate to the Department's accommodation refurbishments for both Ministers and their outer offices:
	August 2007: 36,643.
	May 2008: 352;
	June 2008: 265,991 (included major demolition, construction and redecoration work to standardise and 'future proof offices should ministerial numbers increase in future;
	July 2008: 11,016;
	September 2008: 19,958.
	January 2009: 57,040.

Regional Development Agencies: Finance

Eric Pickles: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform with reference to the Answer of 10 January 2008,  Official Report, column 782W, on regional development agencies: South East Region, when the evaluation of the effects of the South East England Development Agency's spending was completed; and if he will place a copy of the evaluation report in the Library.

Patrick McFadden: The Government have commissioned PricewaterhouseCoopers to conduct an independent evaluation of the economic impact of RDAs. The evaluation of the impact of South East England Development Agency's spending is incorporated in the report. The evaluation report has just been completed and I will place a copy in the Libraries of the House shortly.

Regional Development Agencies: Finance

Eric Pickles: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 25 November 2008,  Official Report, column 41W, on departmental expenditure limits (2008-09), for what reason there was a re-allocation of 2.5 million from the London Development Agency to the regional development agencies.

Patrick McFadden: As part of the management of the single pot funding model, the regional development agencies (RDAs) and the London Development Agency (LDA) have the authority to agree loans between themselves, as a way of maximising the use of their overall budget allocation. This is often utilised to overcome issues around the timing of expenditure. Whilst there is no need to process such transactions between the RDAs generally (because they are all non voted), funds to the LDA are voted (because it is governed by the Greater London Authority) and any changes are, therefore, necessarily reflected in supplementary estimates.

Regional Development Agencies: Public Appointments

Eric Pickles: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 25 November 2008,  Official Report, columns 43-4WS, on Regional Development Agency (Board appointments), what political activity has been declared by each of the listed Board members.

Patrick McFadden: The declared political activity of each of the 23 appointed board members named in the written statement of 25 November are:
	 Advantage West Midlands
	Cllr Mike Whitbywas leader of the Conservative group on the Birmingham city council and since 2004 has been leader of Birmingham city council.
	 East of England Development Agency
	Nitin Dahadnone.
	Shona Johnstoneduring the past five years has been a Conservative county councillor and was leader of Cambridgeshire county council in 2007.
	Cllr Madeline RussellConservative councillor for Biggleswade and since 2005 became leader of Bedfordshire county council.
	 East Midlands Development Agency
	Elizabeth Donnellymember of the Co-operative party.
	Jim HarkerConservative member of Northamptonshire county council and has been its leader since 2005.
	 Northwest Regional Development Agency
	Anne Selbynone.
	John Stagemannone.
	Brenda Smithnone.
	Lord Peter Smithmember of the Labour party and has been leader of Wigan council since 1991.
	 South East of England Development Agency
	Zenna Atkinsonnone.
	Jeremy BirchLabour councillor and has been a member of the party for 30 years.
	Les Dawsonnone.
	Keith MitchellConservative councillor and leader of Oxfordshire county council since November 2001.
	 South West England Development Agency
	Ian Ducatmember of the Labour party.
	Peter Maddennone.
	Judith Reynoldsnone.
	Henry Studholmenone.
	Steve Smithnone.
	 Yorkshire Forward
	Bill Adamsmember of the Labour party.
	Ajaz Ahmednone.
	Julie Kennynone.
	John Vincentnone.

Aerials: Planning Permission

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the Answer of 4 February 2008,  Official Report, column 890W, on aerials: planning permission, when she expects to publish the conclusions of the review of planning procedures for new base stations; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: We are still undertaking our review of the planning procedures relating to applications for new base stations.
	We are currently considering whether the two reviews published on 24 Novemberthe 'Killian and Pretty Review: Planning applicationsa faster and more responsive system: Final Report' and the 'Final report into Non householder minor development consent review' by White Young Green Planninghave any implications for the work on telecommunications.
	Should we decide that the telecommunication regulations need changing we will consult publicly on any options.

Departmental Contracts

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) of 18 November 2008,  Official Report, columns 376-9W, on departmental contracts, what the timetable is for the completion of the Contact Point for the North West Territorial Co-operation Programme; to whom the contract was awarded and at what cost; and what the full project specification is.

Sadiq Khan: This contract was for the provision of UK Contact Points for the North West Europe Territorial Cooperation Programme. The timetable for completion of the programme is 31 March 2011 and the contract was awarded to two individuals at an overall cost of 318,000. A copy of the specification has been lodged in the Library of the House.

Departmental Contracts

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to my hon Friend the Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) of 18 November 2008,  Official Report, columns 376-9W, on departmental contracts, what the timetable is for the completion of the Enabling Most Efficient Information Sharing Across Government Project; to whom the contract was awarded and at what cost; and what the full project specification of the research is.

Sadiq Khan: The timetable for the completion of the Enabling more efficient information sharing across Government project is 28 February 2009. The contract was awarded to Xantura Limited and the maximum approved cost of the contract is 89,800.00. A copy of the full specification of the project has been deposited in the Library of the House.

Departmental Mass Media

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Answer to my hon. Friend the Member for South-West Surrey (Mr Hunt) of 26 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1491W, on departmental mass media, for what reasons her Department is monitoring the media for the keywords of 'civil unrest'.

Sadiq Khan: 'Civil unrest' is included as a keyword search term for CLG's contracted media monitoring provider in order to ensure relevant coverage relating to community cohesion and resilience issues, for which the Department is responsible, is captured.

Departmental Mass Media

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for South-West Surrey (Mr Hunt) of 26 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1491W, on departmental mass media, on what date Durrants was instructed by her Department to monitor the keywords 'Haringey Social Services'.

Sadiq Khan: The Department asked for this search term to be added to Durrants' list of key words on 17 November 2008.

Departmental Plants

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much has been spent by her Department on  (a) pot plants since 1 March 2008 and  (b) flowers in each of the last three years.

Sadiq Khan: A low level of internal planting within the CLG HQ buildings is maintained under our integrated facilities management contract. The cost of this is included within the fixed contract price for cleaning, grounds maintenance and pest control and is not separately identifiable.
	Since 1 March 2008 additional new plants have been provided at a cost of 725.25.
	It is not departmental practice to provide cut flowers for office use and so expenditure on this is nil.

Departmental Training

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the Answer of 13 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1326W, on departmental training, what personal training courses at public expense Ministers in her Department have undertaken since 1 January 2008.

Sadiq Khan: Other Ministers in Communities and Local Government have taken the following personal training courses at public expense since 1 January 2008: advice on continuing professional development; and advice on speeches.

Fire Services: Contracts

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Ruislip-Northwood (Mr. Hurd) of 26 January 2009,  Official Report, column 810W, on Fire Service: contracts, what legal advice her Department sought prior to any advice given to contracting parties in respect of non-inclusion of break clauses in the contracts for regional fire control centres; and if she will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: The Department took advice from its own lawyers and from commercial property advisers and solicitors throughout the development of the building leases for regional control centre buildings. The fire and rescue authorities have taken and continue to take their own legal advice.

Housing Challenge

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the written ministerial statement of 16 July 2008,  Official Report, columns 17-19WS, on the Housing Challenge document, if she will place in the Library a copy of the letter sent to regional assembly chairs on the National Housing and Planning Advice Unit's advice.

Margaret Beckett: The letters sent in July 2008 by the Minister for Housing and Planning to the chairs of the regional assemblies concerning the NHPAU's advice have been deposited in the Library.
	These letters were published on the 16 July 2008 and are available online:
	www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/guidanceregionalstrategy

Housing: Sales

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the evidential basis was for the statement made by the Minister of State (Housing) that there had been an upturn in the property market in her interview with  The Sunday Times on 18 January 2009; who the Minister of State consulted before making this statement; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: The Government recognise that the housing market faces significant challenges.
	In my interview with  The Sunday Times I did not state that there has been an upturn in the property market. I was asked about the state of the housing market. In my reply, I mentioned that a number of recent surveys and professional groups have reported that buyer inquiries are rising, including the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). However, mortgage availability remains a key barrier.
	To help people who are struggling to get onto the housing ladder we introduced the HomeBuy Direct scheme which is designed to help up to 18,000 first time buyers through shared equity. Measures announced by the Chancellor on 19 January are intended to support lending.

McKinsey

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the Answer of 21 July 2008,  Official Report, column 779W, on McKinsey, if she will place in the Library a copy of each document provided to participants in the Communities High Level Seminar.

Sadiq Khan: The documents have been placed in the House Library.

Non-domestic Rates: Empty Property

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 24 November 2008,  Official Report, column 111W, on non-domestic rates: empty property, if she will place in the Library a copy of the written representation from the urban regeneration companies.

John Healey: I have placed in the library a copy of the letter received from the urban regeneration companies.

Non-Domestic Rates: Ports

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the Answer of 6 October 2008,  Official Report, column 351W, on non-domestic rates: ports, how the figure of approximately 200 million for the aggregate rateable value was calculated.

John Healey: The figure of 200 million was an initial estimate, for England, of the aggregate of the port operators' and port occupiers' properties in the large ports of their rating assessments, based on information available at the time.
	Since 6 October 2008, work has been undertaken to deal with inquiries and appeals in respect of those properties within ports, following consultation with ratepayers.

Regional Ministers: Official Engagements

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the official engagements were for the Minister for  (a) London,  (b) Yorkshire and the Humber,  (c) the South East,  (d) the North West;  (e) the East of England, (f) the East Midlands,  (g) the South West,  (h) the North East and  (i) the West Midlands in their roles as regional ministers from 1 to 31 January 2009; and what the length of time spent on each engagement was.

Sadiq Khan: I am depositing a table of this information in the Library.
	Accurate information on the length of time spent on each engagement could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Regional Ministers: Official Engagements

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the official engagements were for  (a) the Minister for the North West,  (b) the Minister for the East of England,  (c) the Minister for the East Midlands,  (d) the Minister for the South West,  (e) the Minister for the North East and (f) the Minister for the West Midlands in their roles as regional ministers from (i) 1 to 31 October, (ii) 1 to 30 November and (iii) 1 to 31 December 2008; and what the length of time spent on each engagement was.

Sadiq Khan: I am depositing a table of this information in the Library. Accurate information on the length of time spent on each engagement can be provided at only disproportionate cost.

Bristol

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the  (a) transport,  (b) staff and  (c) administrative costs were of the visit made by the Minister of State for Schools to Bristol West constituency on 12 May 2008.

Jim Knight: I did not visit Bristol West on 12 May 2008.

Children: Databases

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the Written Ministerial Statement of 26 January 2009,  Official Report, columns 2-3WS, on ContactPoint, on what date he next intends to provide an update on progress on ContactPoint.

Beverley Hughes: As mentioned in the written ministerial statement of 26 January 2009,  Official Report, columns 2-3WS we will provide an update in spring 2009.

Departmental Training

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families with reference to the Answer of 3 November 2008,  Official Report, column 186W, on departmental training, what personal training courses at public expense other Ministers in his Department have undertaken since 1 January 2008.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Ministers in the Department for Children, Schools and Families have taken the following personal training courses at public expense since 1 January 2008:
	Induction Workshop, Action Learning Set, Media Training, Select Committee Training.

Pupils: English Language

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families with reference to the answer of 26 January 2009,  Official Report, column 165W, on pupils: English language, if he will provide the same information for  (a) 2004 and  (b) 1999.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: holding answer 9 February 2009
	The requested information has been placed in the Library.

Schools: Standards

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools were in the National Challenge as at 25 January 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: There is good progress towards meeting the National Challenge. In 2007 there were 631 schools where fewer than 30 per cent. of pupils achieved five A*-C grades including English and mathematics at GCSE. This figure has reduced to 440 on the basis of final published data which is a reduction of 191 schools. All schools below the threshold will receive bespoke support as appropriate from the National Challenge.

Dental Services

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many practising dentists there were in  (a) the North Yorkshire and York primary care trust area and  (b) England on 1 April in each year since 1997.

Ann Keen: The numbers of national health service dentists, as at 31 March, 1997 to 2006 are available in annex E of the NHS Dental Activity and Workforce Report England: 31 March 2006. Information is available by strategic health authority (SHA) and by primary care trust (PCT).
	This measure counted the number of NHS dentists recorded on PCT lists as at 31 March each year. This information is based on the old contractual arrangements, which were in place up to and including 31 March 2006. This report has already been placed in the Library and is also available on the NHS Information Centre website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dwfactivity
	The numbers of dentists with NHS activity during the years ending 31 March, 2007 and 2008 are available in table G1 of annex 3 of the NHS Dental Statistics for England: 2007/08 report. Information is provided by SHA and by PCT. This information is based on the new dental contractual arrangements, introduced on 1 April 2006. This report has already been placed in the Library and is also available on the NHS Information Centre website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dental0708
	This measure is based on a revised methodology and therefore supersedes previously published work force figures relating to the new dental contractual arrangements. It is not comparable to the information collected under the old contractual arrangements. This revised methodology counted the number of dental performers with NHS activity recorded via FP17 claim forms in each year ending 31 March.
	Both sets of published figures relate to headcounts and do not differentiate between full-time and part-time dentists, nor do they account for the fact that some dentists may do more NHS work than others.

General Practitioners

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 6 November 2008,  Official Report, column 693W, on general practitioners, what reasons have been identified for the reduction in numbers of GP referrals to consultants between 2003-04 and 2007-08.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department has not undertaken any specific research into the reasons for the slight decrease in general practitioner (GP) referrals to first consultant-led outpatient appointments between the period 2003-04 to 2007-08.
	
		
			  GP written referrals for first outpatient appointment (consultant-led): All specialties, England provider based 
			   Number of GP referrals made 
			 1997-98 8,991,722 
			 1998-99 9,139,785 
			 1999-2000 9,141,425 
			 2000-01 9,362,770 
			 2001-02 9,470,342 
			 2002-03 9,655,874 
			 2003-04 9,802,237 
			 2004-05 9,776,914 
			 2005-06 9,785,960 
			 2006-07 9,337,136 
			 2007-08 9,639,029 
			  Source: Department of Health, QM08, KH09, QAR (Quarterly Activity Return). 
		
	
	To improve the appropriateness of care patients receive, i.e. the right treatment from the right health care professional, in the right place and at the right time, the Department has issued guidance to the NHS 'Care and Resource Utilisation' (December 2006) (a copy of which has been placed in the Library), which sets out a range of ways in which primary care trusts and clinicians can work together to improve care provided to patients.

Heart Diseases: Medical Treatments

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 27th January,  Official Report, column 403W, on heart disease: medical treatments, which primary care trusts have permitted the funding of transcatheter aortic valve implants.

Ann Keen: The Department does not collect this information centrally. The Specialised Services Commissioning Groups, which are responsible for decisions on funding highly specialised services (subject to the funding priorities of their constituent primary care trusts), are in the process of agreeing a framework based on service criteria agreed by the relevant professional societies which will lead to designation of certain centres for this procedure within each strategic health authority area. Designated centres would then receive funding. It is understood that Yorkshire and Humberside Specialised Commissioning Group has already reached an agreement ahead of finalising the commissioning framework.

Official Engagements

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the official engagements of Ministers in his Department were from 1 November to 30 November 2008.

Ben Bradshaw: The information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Details of official engagements from 1 November to 30 November 
			  DH Minister  Date of meeting  Organisation 
			 Secretary of State, Alan Johnson 4 November 2008 Health Oral Questions 
			  5 November 2008 Meeting on Government Response to Carol Black's Review 
			  5 November 2008 MeetingIranian Minister of Health 
			  5 November 2008 MeetingDavid Blunkett MP and CEO, Alzheimer's Society 
			  6 November 2008 Cabinet 
			  6 November 2008 Closing the Gap: Health Equality through Action on the Social Determinants of HealthSpeech to conference 
			  6 November 2008 Q and A to NHS Confed Employers Conference 
			  6 November 2008 MeetingBrazilian Minister of Health 
			  8 November 2008 VisitSilver Star Diabetes Centre 
			  9 November 2008 Politics Show 
			  10 November 2008 Cabinet Committee 
			  10 November 2008 MeetingLord MandelsonPharmaceutical Industry 
			  11 November 2008 Armistice Day ceremony 
			  11 November 2008 Cabinet 
			  11-14 November 2008 International visit to WashingtonSpeech 
			  17 November 2008 MeetingChair, East Midlands SHA 
			  17 November 2008 MeetingRoyal Brampton Hospital 
			  18 November 2008 Cabinet 
			  18 November 2008 Children's Plan Conference 
			  18 November 2008 MeetingChair, South West SHA 
			  18 November 2008 British Energy and MS Society Reception 
			  19 November 2008 Evidence to Health Select Committee 
			  20 November 2008 MeetingChinese Health Minister 
			  20 November 2008 National Stakeholder Forum Meeting 
			  24 November 2008 Cabinet 
			  25 November 2008 Event for Launch of Dame Carol Black Review 
			  25 November 2008 MeetingAustralian High Commissioner 
			  25 November 2008 Ministerial Industry Strategy Group 
			  26 November 2008 Meeting with Dr. Richard Taylor MP and Prof. Mike RichardsRichards Review 
			  26 November 2008 Event to celebrate 35 years of United Response (UR) 
			  27 November 2008 New Savoy Partnership Conference Psychological Therapies in the NHS speech + 
			  28 November 2008 Visit to Hillside Bridge Healthcare Centre 
			  28 November 2008 Regional CabinetLeeds 
			
			 Minister of State (Health Services)Ben Bradshaw Minister for the South West 4 November 2008 Health Oral Questions 
			  5 November 2008 Visit to NHS North of Tyne 
			  7 November 2008 Regional Economic Work Task force meeting (as Regional Minister for the South West) 
			  10 November 2008 Visit to TwoFour Studios (as Regional Minister for the South West) 
			  11 November 2008 DebateThe Medical Professions (Miscellaneous Amendments) Order 202008 
			  12 November 2008 Special Interest Group of Municipal Authorities Parliamentary Group 
			  12 November 2008 MeetingNeil Turner MP re: Health Inequalities through primary care trust allocations 
			  12 November 2008 ConferenceRegional Development Agency's Annual Public meeting 
			  12 November 2008 ReceptionThird Annual HSJ 50 Celebration 
			  13 November 2008 Ministers' Regions Summit 
			  14 November 2008 Telephone callChief Inspector, CSCI 
			  17 November 2008 MeetingChair of the Socialist Health Association 
			  17 November 2008 DebateAffirmative regs for the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 (Amendment of List of Responders) Order 202008 
			  17 November 2008 Adjournment DebateHealthcare in Sutton 
			  18 November 2008 Adjournment DebateGovernment policy on people with strokes 
			  18 November 2008 MeetingRuth Carnall CBE to discuss London 
			  18 November 2008 MeetingMuscular Dystrophy Campaign 
			  19 November 2008 SHA Chairs monthly meeting 
			  20 November 2008 National Stakeholder Forum 
			  20 November 2008 SpeechExcellence Awards (as Regional Minister for the South West) 
			  21 November 2008 MeetingRegional Director, Environmental Agency (as Regional Minister for the South West) 
			  24 November 2008 MeetingChairmen of the National Association of Primary Care 
			  25 November 2008 NHS Confederation 
			  25 November 2008 Breakfast briefing meeting with Trisha GoddardPatient Choice 
			  25 November 2008 DinnerNHS Confederation London PCT Policy Chairs Dinner 
			  26 November 2008 SpeechSouth West Forum Annual Conference 202008 (as Regional Minister for the South West) 
			  27 November 2008 MeetingHealthcare Commission 
			
			 Minister of State(Public Health) Dawn Primarolo 4 November 2008 Health Oral Questions 
			  5 November 2008 SpeechNational Alcohol ConferenceNottingham 
			  5 November 2008 SpeechReception of the Commission on Social Determinants for Health International ConferenceLondon 
			  6 November 2008 Commission on Social Determinants for Health International ConferenceLondon (Including a Dinner and a speech) 
			  6 November 2008 Media Interview with the Observer 
			  10 November 2008 MeetingGerman Health Minister 
			  10 November 2008 Cabinet Committee 
			  10 November 2008 Launch for Change4Life 
			  11 November 2008 You and Yours programme 
			  11 November 2008 MeetingForesight Review Officials 
			  11 November 2008 MediaHealthy Towns 
			  12 November 2008 MeetingBaroness Gould 
			  12 November 2008 MeetingGisela Stewart MP 
			  12 November 2008 Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) 
			  13 November 2008 Westminster Hall DebateTackling Obesity 
			  13 November 2008 MeetingMarie WoolfJournalist 
			  17 November 2008 Reception for those who worked on Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 
			  19 November 2008 SpeechIDeA (Improvement and Development Agency) Conference 
			  20 November 2008 Adjournment DebateOrgan Donation 
			  20 November 202008 National Stakeholder Forum 
			  21-24 November 2008 International Trip to Libya 
			  25 November 2008 Select Committee on Pandemic Influenza 
			  25 November 2008 SpeechFabian Society Conference 
			  25 November 2008 Phone callMinister for Health Northern Ireland 
			  25 November 2008 MeetingJapanese Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association 
			  26 November 2008 SpeechFitness Industry Association 
			  26 November 2008 Phone callMinister of Health for Wales 
			  27 November 2008 Phone callMinister of Health for Scotland 
			  26 November 2008 Faculty of Family Planning Association 
			
			 Minister of State (Care Services)Phil Hope Minister for the East Midlands 3 November 2008 Social Care and Support event, Norwich 
			  3 November 2008 Dignity VisitJulian Hospital, Norwich 
			  4 November 2008 Health Oral Questions 
			  4 November 2008 SpeechTUC event, London 
			  4 November 2008 MeetingCouncil of Regional Ministers, London 
			  4 November 2008 National Autistic Society Reception 
			  4 November 2008 Cabinet Committee 
			  5 November 2008 Cross-Government meetingGovernment response to Dame Carol Black's review 
			  5 November 2008 MeetingAlzheimer's Society 
			  7 November 2008 SpeechSkills for care accolade event, London 
			  10 November 2008 Social Care and Support eventBrighton 
			  10 November 2008 Dignity VisitBrighton 
			  11 November 2008 SpeechLocal Government Association event, Health and Well-being, London 
			  11 November 2008 MeetingPresident, Royal College of Psychiatrists 
			  11 November 2008 SpeechHelp the Aged, London 
			  12 November 2008 SpeechEnglish Community Care Association (ECCA) national conference 
			  12 November 2008 SpeechCarers UK Summit, London 
			  18 November 2008 SpeechMental Health Providers Forum Conference, London 
			  19 November 2008 SpeechPacesetters programme, London 
			  19 November 2008 SpeechLocal Government Information Unit Conference on Services for Older people 
			  19 November 2008 Human Rights Inquiry Event 
			  19 November 2008 Cabinet Committee 
			  19 November 2008 SpeechCounsel and Care parliamentary reception 
			  19 November 2008 SpeechAll Party Parliamentary Group on Social Enterprise 
			  20 November 2008 MeetingAnnual Performance Assessment of Councils for 2007-2008 
			  20 November 2008 Speech2010 and Beyond :A new Era for Mental Health Policy in the UK, London 
			  20 November 2008 SpeechNational Stakeholder 
			  20 November 2008 Social Enterprise Visit 
			  22 November 2008 Final care support independence event, Birmingham 
			  25 November 2008 SpeechDignity in Care Conference 
			  25 November 2008 Meetingmembers of Law commission 
			  26 November 2008 Life Chances Ministerial Group 
			  26 November 2008 MeetingLloyds Pharmacy 
			  26 November 2008 MeetingAlzheimer's Research Trust 
			  27 November 2008 Telecare conference event, London 
			
			 Parliamentary Under Secretary (Lords) Professor the Lord Darzi of Denham, KBE 3 November 2008 MeetingFoundation Trust and NHS Confederation 
			  3 November 2008 MeetingNational Association of Colitis and Crohn's Disease 
			  3 November 2008 MeetingHumana Europe 
			  4 November 2008 Oral StatementTop ups 
			  4 November 2008 MeetingThe Academy of Medical Sciences 
			  5 November 2008 MeetingThe Health Foundation 
			  5 November 2008 MeetingAPAX 
			  5 November 2008 VisitNorthgate Clinic 
			  6 November 2008 MeetingHealthTalkOnline 
			  6 November 2008 MeetingNHS Alliance 
			  6 November 2008 MeetingMonitor 
			  10 November 2008 MeetingHealthcare Commission 
			  10 November 2008 MeetingBUPA 
			  11 November 2008 MeetingRoyal College of Midwives 
			   Royal College of Anaesthetists 
			   Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health 
			   Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists 
			   Academy of Medical Royal Colleges 
			   Royal College of Surgeons of England 
			   Royal College of Physicians 
			   Royal College of General Practitioners 
			
			  11 November 2008 MeetingDr. Foster Intelligence 
			  12-14 November 2008 International visit to WashingtonSpeech 
			  18 November 2008 MeetingNHS Consultant's Association 
			  19 November 2008 MeetingLondon Assembly 
			  19 November 2008 MeetingFlorence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery 
			  20 November 2008 Oral PQ 
			  26 November 2008 Visit to Keele University 
			
			 Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Health, Ann Keen 3 November 2008 ReceptionRoyal College of Pathologists 
			  4 November 2008 Health Oral Questions 
			  5 November 2008 MeetingRNIB 
			  5 November 2008 MeetingThe Lindsey Leg Club Foundation 
			  5 November 2008 SpeechHuman Tissue Authority 
			  5 November 2008 SpeechChief Nursing Officers summit 
			  6 November 2008 SpeechNHS Employers Annual Conference 
			  11 November 2008 SpeechAll Party Parliamentary Group on Cancer 
			  11 November 2008 MeetingRoyal College of Midwives 
			  12 November 2008 EventNursing Times Awards 
			  14 November 2008 VisitOpening Nursing and Midwifery Campus 
			  18 November 2008 SpeechAntibiotic Awareness Day 
			  18 November 2008 SpeechSecond Children's Plan Conference 
			  18 November 2008 SpeechWorld Diabetes Day 
			  19 November 2008 SpeechWorld Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Day 
			  21 November 2008 VisitHarefield Heart Centre and Harefield Hospital 
			  25 November 2008 SpeechHealthcare for London Conference 
			  25 November 2008 SpeechA Framework for Violence and Abuse Prevention

Transplant Surgery

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 14 January 2009,  Official Report, columns 827-32W, on transplant surgery: figures, if he will break down by year the figures given for organ and ocular tissue transplants in the UK.

Ann Keen: Information showing organ and ocular tissue transplants in the United Kingdom in each year since 1998, broken down by transplant centre and organ, has been placed in the Library.